Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United preview: Harry Kane to return to starting XI

Harry Kane is set to return to the starting line-up when Tottenham take on London rivals West Ham in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Thursday.

Kane started on the bench in the 2-0 win over Swansea on Tuesday following illness but still proved influential in his 22 minutes on the pitch, teeing up Dele Alli for a late goal that sealed victory in south Wales.

„I think it was a good training session for him to prepare for the next game,“ Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said of the striker after the victory. „We hope he will be well in the next 24 hours and he can be ready to play against West Ham.“
Andy Carroll scored twice on his first start since November in a 2-1 win over West Brom that lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone.
And despite the swift turnaround, he insists he is ready to spearhead the Hammers’ attack once again at Wembley.

„It’s been very frustrating, I’ve been sitting on the bench and it’s been tough,“ he said. „I don’t want to be an impact player coming off the bench.

„When I was called upon for this game I felt like I needed to show what I was about and try to push my way back into the team from the start. For the lads who’ve been playing every game, every two days, it’s been tough for them, but I’m feeling good.“
Team news
While Kane is expected to start from the off, Danny Rose is likely to be missing again as Tottenham play their second game in 48 hours.

Rose will be assessed after damaging the knee which forced him to miss the start of the season.

Victor Wanyama could make his first start since August following a knee problem.
West Ham have a host of injury worries for the trip to Wembley, with defender Aaron Cresswell their latest concern.

Cresswell had to go off against West Brom with a back problem on Tuesday, while Michail Antonio remains a doubt with a groin injury, Andre Ayew has been struggling with a tight hamstring and Reece Oxford sprained an ankle in training.

Diafra Sakho, James Collins, Jose Fonte and Sam Byram are also among the absentees.
Opta stats
Tottenham won the reverse fixture 3-2 at the London Stadium, but haven’t won both league meetings with West Ham in a season since the 2012-13 campaign.

West Ham have only won one of their last 15 away league visits to Tottenham (D5 L9), winning 3-0 in October 2013 under Sam Allardyce. However, the Hammers beat Spurs 3-2 at Wembley in the EFL Cup this season, overturning a 0-2 half-time deficit to do so.

The last seven meetings between these sides in all competitions with Spurs as the home side have produced 29 goals, at an average of 4.1 per game.

Spurs have lost three of their last five Premier League London derbies, as many as they had lost in their previous 21 in the competition.

West Ham have played three competitive London derbies at Wembley Stadium, winning them all – beating Fulham 2-0 in the 1975 FA Cup final, Arsenal 1-0 in the 1980 FA Cup final, and Spurs 3-2 in the EFL Cup this season.

Spurs have lost just once in their last 29 home Premier League games (W23 D5 L1), with that defeat coming in their first PL home match at Wembley versus Chelsea in August. Indeed, they’ve won six and lost none of the nine since that game.

West Ham have won four points from their last two Premier League away games, more than they won in the previous nine combined (3).

After a run that saw him score 17 goals in 16 Premier League London derbies, Harry Kane has scored just three in his last nine, failing to score on seven occasions. However, the England hitman has scored seven in his last six against West Ham in the league, including three braces in that time.
Merson’s prediction
I know they both have games to play before this but I don’t care if West Ham win 27-0 on Tuesday, they are not beating Tottenham.

Spurs are a really good team and when they get all their players out they score goals and make lots of chances. The only worry at the moment for me is Hugo Lloris, who is making some mistakes. It’s not like him and I think he is a good goalkeeper but he has made some sloppy mistakes. I don’t know if he is getting bored because he is a top goalkeeper. But with Tottenham getting players back like Davinson Sanchez and then Toby Alderweireld they won’t concede too many goals.
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